Tips To Renting Holiday Apartments – A Checklist

I’ve lost count of the number of self catering properties we’ve settled into, from holiday houses and villas to serviced apartments and apart-hotels, from staying only in holiday rentals during our yearlong 2010 grand tour of the world that launch this site to spending a month testing out short-term apartments in Melbourne and Sydney as we did one year. We thought it time to share some of our best tips to renting holiday apartments.

If you’ve been a regular reader since the beginning of Grantourismo when we launched the site with our yearlong global grand tour, you might recall the dozens of vacation rentals, from holiday houses to apartments, that we tested out that year. You might recall our Tips on Renting a Riad in Morocco for travellers and these tips for vacation rental owners on The Little Things that Make a Difference.

Recent experiences have reminded us how vastly different apartment rentals can be and motivated us to provide some more tips for travellers planning to rent holiday apartments. Over the years, we’ve rented apartments everywhere from the Americas to Europe – everywhere from New York City and Mexico City to Paris and Barcelona, where we’d struggle to recommend apartments now due to overtourism.

We’ve used all the accommodation booking sites, found short term rentals through real estate agents, and rented directly from owners via personal contacts. And made mistakes. In Amsterdam, we rented an idiosyncratic canal house with a crooked floor directly from an eccentric psychiatrist, in Krakow we rented an apartment above a night club, and in Hanoi we rented a place on Food Street where the daily karaoke drove us completely crazy.

Here are our tips to renting holiday apartments in the form of a checklist of questions to ask.

TIPS TO RENTING HOLIDAY APARTMENTS + A CHECKLIST

The apartment rentals in Australia have impressed us the most. The best self-catering properties come equipped with some of the best amenities in the world, from fancy Italian espresso coffee machines to full laundry facilities, hi-tech entertainment gear to quality linens and towels.

Whether they’re family-owned short-term rental companies, such as Number Six in Perth, who we’ve rented apartments from for months at a time when writing up travel guidebooks, or one of the major nationwide brands like Medina or Mantra. They’re expensive compared to rentals in other countries, but by Australian standards you get your money’s worth.

A serviced apartment we tested out for a month in Cambodia‘s capital Phnom Penh by contrast was substantially cheaper, however, we got what we paid for – very little at all! There were very basic kitchen amenities – such as a couple of plates, two spoons and forks, two glasses, a small pan, and a pot.

But important essentials were missing like cups, bowls and knives, and the place wasn’t really equipped for people who like to cook, as we do. There wasn’t even a wok, so it wasn’t as if the apartment had only been set up for Asians. The lack of bath towels, toilet paper and soap were evidence that the management or owners simply hadn’t given much consideration to guest needs.

Luckily – as we’d travelled all day and arrived in the evening the day we checked in– we had a tiny pack of tissues, some hotel toiletries, and those small quick-drying camping towels. Admittedly, after we complained and made suggestions as to the sorts of things they should be providing for guests, the management sent their staff out shopping and they returned the next afternoon with all the things we’d recommended.

Another nasty surprise had come before we’d even seen the apartment when we went to the office to pay our rent – additional costs for things like Internet and utilities that we’d been told would be included in our rental fee weren’t included after all, it seemed.

It should be said that Cambodia was pretty new to the holiday apartment rental business at the time, although there were plenty of apartments aimed at expats and NGO workers in both Phnom Penh and Siem Reap, and there is an abundance of beautiful boutique hotels in both cities also.

Regardless, our experience served to remind us of the kinds of questions travellers should be asking when renting holiday apartments and the importance of not taking anything for granted, as apartment rentals around the world vary vastly, from Barcelona to Bangkok and Paris to Phnom Penh.

TIPS TO RENTING HOLIDAY APARTMENTS

Use these tips to renting holiday apartments as you see fit, as a checklist or a set of questions to put to holiday rental owners, managers or agents, and please do add any tips you may have in the comments below.

Scrutinise the Booking Site Listing Closely

Some apartment rental sites use symbols while others provide detailed descriptions, and the best will provide both; make sure you’re very clear about the facilities and amenities, what exactly it is that you are renting, and what is being provided.

Ask Questions Before Booking

Never book a property immediately on the site, no matter how professional the apartment rental booking site looks, and how good their reputation is; unless you’re really stuck for time and are travelling at the last minute, always click that ‘enquire’ or ‘contact owner’ button and ask some detailed questions before committing.

Request Photos, Dimensions, Floor Plan, Address and Map Location

If the site only has a few photos ask, to see more; if it doesn’t specify the property size, ask exactly what the floor space is; if you’re settling in for a while or staying with family or friends, ask to see a floor plan; and make sure you ask for a street address (although they might not give you a number) and/or a map reference, as sometimes properties are not where they should be.

Find Out if There’s a Rental Agreement or Lease

Some holiday rental owners are very relaxed, simply handing over the keys upon your arrival or even leaving them in the mail box or under a pot plant, while others will expect you to sign an agreement or, if it’s for a stay of one month or more, even a lease. Ask if these documents are used, and if they are, ask the owner or agent to email them to you before you commit so you know exactly what you’re in for.

Ask Exactly What the Fee Includes and Get the Answer in Writing

If there isn’t an agreement or lease, don’t assume anything; ask if the fee on the booking site covers everything or whether it’s only for the rent and utilities such as Internet, gas and electricity cost extra, and if services like cleaning are included.

If they are extra, ask for specific figures or, where it’s electricity or water that is determined by use and a meter, ask what guests pay on average for a stay similar to the one you’re doing. You’ll need these details to determine what your ultimate outlay will be.

With internet, check if the cost is for unlimited access; sometimes a fee might cover a certain amount of data and then you’ll have to pay for more.

Find Out if There’s an Inventory List

The use of a formal inventory list of apartment amenities is not the norm everywhere and we didn’t come across them much until we started renting serviced apartments in Asia. An inventory lists everything provided, from cutlery and linen to lamps and appliances.

If one exists, the owner or agent will expect you to check everything’s there when you arrive, tick things off, and sign it. If you break, damage or lose something, you’ll be expected to pay for its replacement, so make sure you take a good look to check everything’s there and you’re not paying for something already missing.

Ask for the Inventory List in Advance

If there is an inventory list, ask them to email it to you in advance. It will be considerably more detailed than the description of what the holiday apartment includes on the website, so it will give you a better idea of exactly what is provided and what isn’t, and what you may need to buy or bring. Handy information if you’re staying for a couple of weeks or a month, especially if travelling with family or a group of friends.

Don’t Hesitate to Address the Basics

It may sound petty to ask if there’ll be things like toilet paper, soap, bottled water and tea bags on your arrival, but these simple things can make a difference, especially if you arrive after a long journey, late at night when the shops are closed, or you’re staying in a location that might involve a trip back into the centre of town. If they don’t provide the basics, you can ask them to, or you can simply bring them along. Trust us, the toilet paper question is an important one!

What have we missed? Do you have any tips to renting holiday apartments when you travel? What kind of questions do you think are important to ask before committing to a rental?